A cassette tape in the music library caught my attention yesterday as I prepared to write an article about David Lynn Jones. The cassette is a 1989 recording by Clint Black titled “Killin’ Time”, and I immediately remembered the song “A Better Man”. Back in those days I could spot a #1 country song when I heard a recording for the first time. Sadly I cannot pick ‘em like that any more.

I knew the song “A Better Man” would go to #1 on the country charts. What I did not know was five songs from that album would go to #1. Clint Black’s songwriting helped make “Killin’ Time” a success. Clint wrote or co-wrote every song.

Today The Country Classics will do something we haven’t done before. I’m featuring “Killin’ Time” and the featured CD, and “A Better Man” as the featured song of the day. It will be our first Country Classics Double Feature.

You can preview all of the songs at CD Universe, and the video of “A Better Man” is featured below.

Clint Black is originally from New Jersey but was raised in the Houston Texas area. Back in 1989 I judged the music by what I heard but I never read fan magazines. Cable television channel CMT went on the air in 1983, as did The Nashville Network, but throughout the decade of the 80′s I never watched those channels. (By the way the GAC network was started in December of 1995.) Living only 100 miles south of Nashville, I just listened to what independent radio stations played.

1989 saw Dwight Yoakam at #1 on the country music charts with “I Sang Dixie”. Shenendoah hit #1 with “The Church on Cumberland Road”. Dolly Parton topped the charts with “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That”, and Willie Nelson hit #1 with “Nothing I Can Do About It Now”. Alabama topped the charts twice with “High Cotton” and “Song Of The South.” Clint Black also hit #1 twice that year, but the first #1 song for Clint was “A Better Man”, topping the charts in June 1989.

Here is the video of “A Better Man” by Clint Black:

There were many more #1 country songs in 1989. See the entire list here.